Underneath The Mistletoe
by ennisjackgal
Summary: One shot in the Lessons In Love universe. Ennis and Jack are spending their first holiday season as a married couple in their new home of Provincetown, MA. They find that they already have everything they could ever need, and that Christmas is a romantic time of the year.


**Underneath The Mistletoe**

_December 25th, 2008_

Jack opened his eyes and stretched, looking around. His eyes fell on his bed mate and he grinned, taking in how peaceful Ennis looked as he slept. It was Christmas morning and he had planned on giving Ennis an early present.

Slowly, he peeled the sheets away from Ennis and admired the body lying there, softly breathing in and out. Jack fantasised about Ennis all day while at work, often thinking of what they'd done the night before. By the time they went to bed at night, he was always up for another round.

"Ennis?" he whispered in his partner's ear. No response, so he crawled down the bed and straddled Ennis's legs, quiet and stealthy even in his arousal. He leaned down and wrapped his warm mouth around Ennis, sucking gently and rubbing his lover's lower stomach.

"Mmm..." came the deep rumble that told him Ennis was waking up. "You at it again, Jack?"

"Morning, cowboy," Jack replied, before returning to what he was doing. Ennis let his head fall back to the pillow, and Jack lavished as much attention as he could on him. He released Ennis from his mouth and kissed his stomach instead, making sure his eyelashes brushed Ennis in the way that made him crazy. "Like that?" Ennis groaned low in his throat, which told Jack everything he needed to know.

Jack went back to what he'd been doing, deep-throating his lover and taking hold of himself in a free hand. He jerked himself off until he felt himself coming, before finishing off Ennis even as he bucked and came onto the bed beneath himself. Ennis moaned loudly and shot into Jack's mouth, unable to stop himself.

When they were done, Jack crawled up Ennis's chest and smiled at him, playing with his now damp curls. "Merry Christmas, Ennis," he said softly. Ennis opened his eyes and returned the smile.

"You too, darlin'. That an early Christmas present?" They kissed and Ennis started to rub Jack's back.

"Sure was. You like it?"

"Mmm...sure woulda liked to unwrap it," Ennis murmured, eyes a little hazy. Jack laughed quietly.

"You can unwrap me later. Promise." He kissed Ennis again and this time held it, pushing his tongue into his husband's mouth and finding its mate. Ennis sighed at the feeling and tangled his own hands in Jack's hair, never tiring of these early morning moments. It was a brief respite before the day began and a great way to start things off.

Jack broke away in a yawn and smiled dozily. "Guess we better get up...wanna see what Santa brought me." Ennis chuckled, still a little hazy.

"Don't know, darlin'...you ain't been a good boy."

"I know," Jack breathed in his ear, hands wandering. "I've been a very bad boy." He kissed Ennis's cheek and got up. "Come on...I'll let you take a shower with me." The offer was too tempting to resist, so Ennis go up and followed Jack into the bathroom willingly.

* * *

"What are we doin' today?" Ennis asked as they ate their breakfast. "I mean, after openin' presents?" They kept to the tradition of opening presents on the actual day, despite Jack being known for his impatience.

"Well, there's a show on at the square, the one on the corner of Bradford Street. It's always on at this time of year." Jack smiled, thinking about something he'd realised a few months ago. "You know...this is our first Christmas as a married couple..."

"Yeah..." Ennis reached across the table to take his hand, smiling back. "First Christmas here, too." He paused. "Um...wait here a sec." Ennis got up and left the room, leaving Jack to wonder what he was up to. Ennis sometimes had his moments of spontaneity and romance, which Jack always loved to see and appreciated every time he saw them.

When he came back, he was holding something behind his back. "I, uh...I picked this up the other day in town, on my way to meet you for lunch. Hope it's okay..." From behind his back he produced a sprig of mistletoe, looking nervous. Despite how long they had been together, he could still be shy about this kind of thing. "Do you mind?"

Jack grinned, touched by the romantic gesture, and he stood up. "I don't mind, cowboy...come here..." He moved closer to Ennis and they kissed, Jack's hand on Ennis's face. Ever since they had first spent the holiday together at his family home, Jack had considered this a romantic day, and one of his favourites. "I love you," he said softly when they broke apart. "This was a great idea." They returned to the table to finish their breakfast and Jack kept looking up at Ennis, marvelling at how sweet he could be. He had come a long way from the shy cowboy that had fled the locker room after nearly kissing him.

After breakfast, they started doing the dishes together. When they had first moved in together, into the apartment just off campus, they had agreed to share all the housework equally. Both of them did everything, taking it in turns each time. Today, Jack was washing dishes while Ennis dried, and took full advantage of this by splashing Ennis every opportunity he got.

"Cut it out, Jack," he groused, trying to sound stern and failing spectacularly. "If you don't knock it off, I'll hafta spank you."

"Really?" Jack replied, curling his voice flirtatiously; he did always like the kinky side of their relationship. He splashed Ennis again and felt a hand connect with his ass hard. "Ouch!"

"I warned you," Ennis told him, smiling. Jack retaliated by squeezing his ass, and copping a feel as he did so. Ennis squirmed and his cheeks turned red. "Damn it, Jack."

"I'll get you for that later," Jack warned Ennis, eyes glinting. Ennis grinned.

"We'll see." They resumed their work, thinking about how they could even make the most boring task enjoyable when they did it together.

* * *

When they were finally done with the dishes, they headed back into the living room to open their presents. Most were from friends and family, but they always bought something special for each other. Every year, they would fondly reminisce about their first Christmas together, when they had first swapped their commitment rings. Those were now their wedding rings, still in pride of place on their fingers and showing the world what they meant to each other.

"So, what did you get me?" Jack asked, grinning at Ennis as they sat down by the tree.

"You'll hafta open 'em up, Jack," Ennis replied, shaking his head. "Let's get to it." They started to open their presents together, eager to see what they had been given this year.

Jack received a sweater from his mother and a bottle of wine from his father; both gifts that he could get some use out of. His brother in New York had sent him a box of Knicks merchandise; they didn't often get to games but watched them on TV all the time, so it was much appreciated.

"Can't believe he got me all this," Jack remarked, grinning as he rummaged through the box. "He's always been great to me at Christmas, all year round really."

"Yer family cares 'bout you, Jack," Ennis told him, smiling. "I do too." Jack smiled back at him and proceeded to open other presents from family members. Eventually, he got to Ennis's gift. "Hope you like it, bud."

"Reckon I will." Jack opened the package to find a beautiful watch; he'd wanted a new one for months and now he had it. "Oh, Ennis..."

"It's got an inscription..." Ennis informed him, and he turned it over to see the etched words; _to my darlin', from your cowboy. _It was simple, yet it somehow said everything that Ennis felt for Jack. Sometimes, only few words were needed to express his feelings.

Jack looked up and swallowed down a lump in his throat. "God, I love you..." He threw his arms around Ennis's neck, squeezing him hard. Ennis hugged him back and they kissed before breaking apart.

"Love you too, Jack." Ennis then started to open his own presents; his pile was a little smaller. They were mostly from friends, including Lureen and the friends they had made here. Jack's brother had sent him his own box of merchandise, this time full of Rangers stuff; Ennis preferred ice hockey to basketball. There was a wrapped jumper from his mother, and he reminded himself that she had always loved him and accepted his desire to be with Jack. His father never had, and now never would.

He then opened up Jack's present; it was a gift voucher to his favourite Western style store in Boston. He loved going there. "Thank you, Jack..." he said softly, looking up and smiling shyly at him. They kissed once more and leaned against the sofa, talking and enjoying the chocolates that Lureen had sent them.

* * *

The pair of them had a quiet Christmas together during the day. They went sledging on a hill along the Cape for a while and made snowmen in the local park; these things had become tradition for them no matter where they'd lived. Both were enjoying their first Christmas here together and knew that they had many more to look forward to.

They made a small Christmas dinner together, with all the trimmings and a bottle of mulled wine. Jack grinned to himself as he poured; any kind of dark wine tended to make Ennis a little friskier than usual. He was certain that they would have a good time tonight.

"You're givin' me that stuff so I'll jump yer bones, ain't ya?" Ennis asked him, smirking. Jack's grin widened.

"Whatever you want, cowboy. You can jump on me anytime you want."

"Hmm..." They started to eat, marvelling over how well the turkey had cooked. Jack had received instructions from his mother for the first Christmas they had spent in their own place, back near campus, and now he was a confident chef that could make most things. Ennis had never wanted him to feel like a wife, especially since they were married now, so he did everything he could to help out. Even if it just meant clearing the dishes away, he knew that Jack appreciated it and was glad to help. "This is real good, Jack."

"Yeah, guess it is. My mom did her best to teach me about cooking, and I guess it paid off."

Afterwards, they decided not to go out to see what was going on. It was their first Christmas together since getting married, and they wanted to be alone. They sat on the sofa and watched It's A Wonderful Life on TV, drinking their wine and slowly finishing the bottle.

"This is good," Jack said softly, resting his head against Ennis's shoulder. His legs were folded up underneath him on the sofa and he was completely content, happy to be here with someone he loved. He'd once thought that he might never have this, simply because he was gay. But meeting Ennis had given him the hope that he might just have it after all. Now he did, and he was grateful every day that they were together.

"Sure is, darlin'," Ennis replied, kissing the top of his head and resting his own against Jack's. "Ain't nothin' better than this when it's cold outside."

"Yeah...all curled up with someone you love," Jack said, reaching for his free hand. "Someone you've made promises to and would do anything for...still can't believe we're really married..."

"We are, darlin'," Ennis whispered in his ear. "We really are, an' I want you to know how happy I am." Jack smiled up at him.

"I am too." They settled back down to watch the rest of the movie and looked forward to the night ahead. They knew that no matter what happened, they would always love each other.

* * *

The night grew dark and the two of them got slightly drunk on the wine. When Ennis started kissing Jack's neck and letting his hand wander, Jack knew it was high time for them to move to the bedroom. He stood up on wobbly legs and led the way across the apartment to the bedroom, grinning slightly when Ennis wrapped his arms around him from behind. "Steady on, cowboy...almost there..."

"Want you," Ennis murmured in his ear, biting gently. Jack walked them both to the bed and they fell onto it, laughing as they got themselves into position. Ennis planted his lips on Jack's, tasting of wine and the fine food they'd had. "Mmm..."

"Come on," Jack whispered, crawling up the bed and bringing Ennis with him. "You sure you can do it? You drank a fair bit of that stuff."

"I'm sure," came the response as Ennis gazed down into Jack's eyes, smiling slightly. "Best Christmas I ever had...first one since we got married."

"Yeah..." They kissed again and started removing their clothes, eager to connect and complete their day in the best way possible. When they were naked and under the covers, Ennis buried his face in Jack's neck and started kissing, running his hands over Jack's body in the way that drove him crazy. Jack groaned. "Ennis...come on..."

Ennis reached for the lube and slicked himself up, his entire body yearning for Jack's. He wanted him so badly and thought he would burst if he didn't get inside him soon.

Jack widened his legs as far as he could and Ennis pushed into him, biting his lower lip in concentration. He could remember their first time together, when he'd been a scared teenager in a dorm room, and it seemed like a lifetime ago. Now he was full of confidence during their couplings.

He moved inside Jack slowly, pulling out and pushing in deeply, trying not to hurt Jack even in his intoxicated state. Jack wrapped his arms around him and pulled him in close as they moved together, making love in the way they liked best. Both were silent except for the occasional gasp and whispered word, and they felt as if they were the only two people in the world right now. No matter what happened in their lives, this room and this time was reserved for just being together.

"I love you," Ennis murmured, brushing his lips against Jack's, moving faster. The end was so close and he strained to get there, gritting his teeth.

"I...I love you too," Jack gasped, before bucking his hips and shooting in between them. Ennis followed suit and sank down onto Jack's body, breathing deeply. "Merry Christmas, cowboy," Jack whispered to him, stroking his curls.

Ennis smiled and pulled out before settling down again. "Merry Christmas, darlin'." They exchanged a few tired kisses and caressed each other, thinking of everything they had together and what they might have in the future. Nothing was impossible when they were together.


End file.
